Thankful for Car Payments

So, as any readers will be aware, I had a car get totaled a couple weeks ago.  I still do miss that car some, since it did serve me very well for the last four years.  But since I was in need of transport, I have gotten a new car.  With the consent of my wife, I have indulged some of my desires and gone back to a convertible.  Thus far I am very happy with my decision.  And I stayed within my budget, so I am pleased.

 

After getting the vehicle, I nearly posted on Facebook that I was disappointed about the prospect of starting a new car loan, even if the payments are affordable.  After all, the thought of committing to 48 payments is a little sickening.

 

But I didn't make that comment on Facebook because something just didn't feel right about it.  After a little while I started thinking about what it meant that I didn't like the comment.  The initial thought struck me that complaining about car payments was awfully negative.  But I realized it went even further. 

 

I realized that I should be thankful for car payments.

 

Now that sounds like a strange comment, I know.  But when I think about entering into a new car loan, I shouldn't be thinking about the fact that I have promised considerable money to someone else.  I should be thinking about the fact that God has given me the ability to enter into such an agreement.  And God has given me the resources to ensure that the agreement starts smoothly.  And I am trusting that God will allow me to continue to honor such a commitment. 

 

So I am thankful that I have a new car loan, just as I am thankful that I have a new (to me) car.  And I praise God for all that he has given me and all that he has promised me.  (And, no, I do not think that the Bible promises that I will smoothly make 48 car payments.  But I do think that God has promised to take care of me - one way or the other.  And that is a great promise!)

 

So, Thanks, God! 

 

And I will see you, the reader, on the road!

Thought for the Day

"A day's most important meetings may not be the ones we've put on our calendar."

 

The Upper Room, Friday, February 5, 2010

Saying Goodbye to a "Loved One"

Well, I have received official word today that it is time to say goodbye to my car. For those that don't know (most, probably), I was involved in a traffic accident last Monday (the 18th). Details are still unclear, but I was going straight though a light that was changing to yellow when a vehicle turned left in front of me. The other driver claimed the turn arrow was on. I didn't think my light was red.

Let's just say that when a Chrysler Sebring t-bones a Range Rover, neither vehicle comes away real well. At least the occupants of both vehicles were fine. The Range Rover no doubt will be repaired.

My car, it turns out, not so much. The car was actually driveable after the accident, although I am not sure I would have wanted to try. That, and I am not entirely sure that the transaxle assembly is still in good condition. But either way, I will not be driving a 2004 White Chrysler Sebring anymore.

This is bringing a bigger sense of loss than I had expected. No, the Sebring was not a great car. But it was for the most part a dependable car. It gave me very few problems. And it drove well, had a decent sound system, and didn't go through too much gas.

I stil think that my best memory of the vehicle was the day I decided to mulch the flower bed. My wife had her own errands to run, and she left in the SUV. I happily puttered over to home improvement warehouse in my Sebring. I new what mulch I wanted (Midnight Black), how much I needed (22 bags), and I dutifully found a flat cart and loaded it with mulch. It wasn't until I got past the cashier and started into the parking lot that I realized I had no idea how I was going to get 22 bags of mulch in a sedan.

Amazingly it all fit. The trunk was full of mulch. The back seat was full of mulch. There was even mulch in the front passenger seat. Thankfully, I did not have to resort to holding any in my lap.

I am sure that I overloaded the car that day. But to the Sebrings benefit, it held up to the task admirably. Sure, acceleration wasn't as brisk, but I didn't expect that. I didn't get the suspension bottoming out that I had expected either, though. The only time I drug any part of the car at all was backing into my driveway. The tailpipe scraped (and actually flat-spotted slightly).

So now, all I am left with is my memories of the Sebring, I guess. I will go at some point soon and pull the satellite radio out of it - and maybe the adapter that allowed me to get the satellite radio music into sound system. I need to get the car seat. Other than that, there isn't personal much to be salvalged.

So, what is next for me in the automotive landscape? I haven't a clue. Of course there is a lot that I would like to have. But my eyes are definitely bigger than my wallet. I would love to go back to a convertible. But convetibles tend to be more expensive, and that wallet thing hits again! Plus, I am a little worried about trying to get my daughter in and out (she isn't really strong enough to buckle her carseat straps herself). For the simplicity of hauling the family, a four-door has real appeal.

Guess I will spend Saturday test driving cars now. Not what I had planned, but not the end of the world, either, I guess. Some of my options for vehicles are below. If you have suggestions, even if not included below, feel free to comment!

Someone has Grasped an Understanding of Society

"Every time gas prices go back down, everybody starts buying big stuff again. Gas prices go up a buck, the big stuff is unsellable and everyone wants small cars. Go figure," he said. "It's like the collective memory is about three weeks long. We can't run a business that way."

    Bob Lutz, Vice-Chairman of General Motors, as reported by CNNMoney.com.

Great Thought for Today

"Instead of explaining all the reasons we don't deserve such a gift, let's just say 'thank you' by living for Christ. I feel certain that nothing could please God more."

1 Timothy 2:9-15; The Lopiccolo Translation

9The women should dress themselves in a way as to not be a distraction to themselves, the rest of the church, or the community in general. Why worry about braiding your hair or what jewelry you are wearing. 10God is looking at your works, not your clothes, and all will be made beautiful in God's eyes when they follow His commands and do His will. 11Let the women and the uneducated learn in peace, without disturbing those around them. 12No woman or untrained person should teach or have primary instruction over the teaching of those who have already received proper training. 13For Adam was created first, like the men were educated first. Then Eve was made. 14Adam was not deceived first, but Eve was led astray due to her lack of experience and education; Eve then was able to lead Adam into sin. 15But Eve's salvation came through her work of raising her descendants (leading to Jesus), as the women can be saved through the labor of learning, provided the women continue in the ways of God: faith, love, and holiness, without worry of the things of this world.

---

Look out Eugene! I may have a competitor for you in the paraphrase market!

Charis and the Sermon on the Mount

I had a preacher that taught, "justification by grace as shown in deeds."  The deeds (or works) follow the salvation, and the salvation is not dependent on it.

 

The word "grace" in the New Testament is "charis" in the Greek.  If you go back to the first century understanding of "charis," it applies not only to gifts and the giving of gifts, but to the appropriate response of the receiver.  The Greeks pictured "charis" as a dance, the Greek "Graces" in a circle, hand in hand, dancing together.  The symbolism is critical - if the giver, the gift, and the response move together, the dance continues.  The minute any part of the chain is broken, so is the grace.

 

So what is the appropriate response?  Josephus said that we should receive the gift, and then do everything in our power to repay the giver, even though we cannot repay in kind (lest it be a loan, not a gift).  We repay by bestowing honor and praise to the giver.  And I can think of no better way to repay a giver than to try and follow their instructions on how to live my life.  Isn't that what the Sermon on the Mount is?  So if I neglect Jesus' teachings (or try to use logic to get around them), I am not demonstrating my responsive grace because I am not honoring the giver.  And the circle of grace is broken.  But if I try to live life according to Jesus, just the effort is a form of honor and praise.  Thus the circle continues.

 

To me, that is a wonderful illustration of what the Gospel really means.  Yes, salvation if free.  But if I really want to show my thankfulness to God, I need to at least make an effort to live out his teachings.  To claim "grace alone" without expecting a response is really to say that my actions don't matter and God will forgive and still give grace.  But that is the heresy of "cheap grace."  It is an attractive earthly proposition ("Lie! Cheat! Steal! Fornicate!  You are a believer and God will forgive!").  But it has no relation to the teachings of the Bible, Old Testament or New, Gospel or Epistle. 

 

Therefore, I cannot claim that God does not want some response from me.  Not that he wants the OT Law necessarily, but God is also not granting freedom from any of his guidance about how to live.